The present invention relates to a rest for guns, cameras, spotting scopes, laser devices, sextants, and the like, and particularly, to a rest which comprises a magnetic base for secure anchoring to a ferromagnetic surface such as the hood, trunk, fender, or roof of an automobile.
Rests or mounts find use in a variety of applications, such as photography, e.g., wildlife photography, bird watching, hunting, target shooting, astronomical observations, etc. Typically, cameras such as still, motion picture, and video, are mounted on tripods, which are rendered top heavy, and which are subject to vibrations and shaking from wind, or from manual operation of the camera. Sudden gusts of wind may also cause a tripod to tip over, risking damage to the equipment attached. Tripods are also generally expensive, bulky to transport and time consuming to set up inasmuch as the legs require multiple adjustments to level the head and reach a bit of stability. Tripod feet tend to slide on smooth surfaces and sink into soft surfaces such as soft ground. Additionally, tripods generally require a large surface area to be set up.
Gun rests generally consist of sand bag rests that are difficult to transport and set up due to their bulk and weight. Sand bag rests tend to become hard and non-pliable and thus, are unsatisfactory as an aid in aiming. Bi-pod gun rests that attach to the underside of a rifle forearm are also known in the art, and tend to get in the way of the shooter, e.g., when he is firing "off-hand." Such bi-pods also require a great deal of manipulation and adjustment when used on the hood, trunk, or top of a vehicle. Generally the legs must be adjusted for height in order to plumb the telescopic or open sights of a rifle with the horizon. The feet are generally inadequate and tend to grab and jump on hard surfaces, particularly when the shooter attempts to swing in a horizontal motion to engage his target.
Portable three and four legged platforms or frames are also known. These typically require numerous adjustments before they can be arranged to put the gun on target and can slide on the surface on which they rest, are space consuming, awkward to use, and are not truly stable.
Some rests of the mono-pod or bi-pod type require pointed nail-like protrusions on their feet to be inserted into the ground for stability. Even after being anchored into the ground, such rests are not stable and rock back and forth changing the sight picture as the shooter tries to aim and shoot.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to provide a rest or mounting device which is extremely stable, inexpensive, simple to set up with minimal effort, small in size and readily transportable, does not hinder or get in the way of the operator, requires a minimum of surface area to set up, and which can be used with all manner of camera devices, firearms, laser and optical devices, and the like.